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Animal control officials found 17 dogs and a cat living in deplorable conditions inside an Alhambra home, with their owners nowhere to be found. John Cádiz Klemack reports from Alhambra for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19, 2014. (Published Wednesday, March 19, 2014)

Police were searching for the owner of a home where authorities found least 17 dogs and one cat covered in animal feces and urine on Wednesday morning, officials said.

Officials want to know where the owner of the Alhambra home is after finding the animals in crates. The woman is believed to have been hoarding the pets to open a pet rescue business, but the she had no permit, officials said.

So, armed with a battering ram, Los Angeles County Animal Control officials and the Alhambra Police Department busted into the home and took the animals away to safety.

Neighbors described hearing yelps and cries and described a horrible stench.